James Nelson-Joyce: ‘Stephen Graham’s always been there to look after me’

‘The one thing you’re guaranteed in this industry is rejection, but just don’t take it personally.’

Hearing James Nelson-Joyce talk about his acting career is a breath of fresh air. He’s been in some of the biggest TV thrillers of recent years, but his humility has never waned.

In 2017, he played a pivotal role in the drama Little Boy Blue, before going on to star in shows including The Virtues, Time and The Responder. But the past 12 months have been especially monumental for the Liverpudlian actor.

Last year, he made his debut as Treacle Goodson in A Thousand Blows, playing the younger brother to Stephen Graham’s Sugar Goodson. A month later, he starred in This City Is Ours with Sean Bean, with his lead performance as Michael Kavanagh earning him the accolade for Best Breakthrough Talent at the RTS Awards.

Now, the 37-year-old has returned to the gritty historical drama A Thousand Blows, a thriller written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. In the second outing, Treacle and Sugar’s brotherly relationship has been shattered, and Treacle is a broken man.

‘Treacle couldn’t have been Treacle without Sugar. He’s had this big brother that he’s admired all his life and looked up to, and lived in the shadow of,’ he tells Metro.

‘When Sugar breaks that respect and that love, it’s like, where does Treacle go from here now? He’s got nothing. He’s been left a pub, and his family’s gone, and his brother’s gone, and it’s very lonely.

‘When he sees Sugar for the first time, it’s that flame of sibling love. There’s a resentment there, but there’s a love there. He’s very confused.’

A Thousand Blows is set in Victorian-era London, against the backdrop of bare-knuckle boxing and heists being pulled off by ruthless female gang members. By the end of season one, after being almost beaten to death by his own brother, Treacle is now in charge of the Blue Coat Arms pub.

In season two, he and Sugar pick up the pieces of their relationship, but a tough road lies ahead for them that’s full of traumatic obstacles.

‘I naturally had that brotherly love for Stephen Graham.’

The brotherly love that Treacle and Sugar have for one another isn’t purely imagined. James and Stephen, 52, also go way back – when James spotted the This Is England actor in a Nando’s and plucked up the courage to speak to him and his wife, actress and producer Hannah Walters.

‘Sugar’s always been there to look after Treacle, which is what Stephen’s always done for me. He has always looked out for me, cared about me and put me in my place when I’ve been wrong,’ James says fondly of his co-star.

‘That kind of brotherly love, I naturally had that love and respect and all that there for him.

‘I think everyone knows what he means to me. He’s a very generous person, and will always try and help people where he can, because he knows it’s a tough industry. If Stephen Graham can find the time to do that for people when he’s the busiest man in the business – and Hannah, let’s not forget Hannah. Hannah’s the same. If they can find the time to do it, then I’m sure most people can.’

Five years ago, James played Johnno in Time, an inmate who terrorises lead character Mark Cobden (Sean) behind bars.

When the first season aired on BBC, it felt like a unique time for TV. The nation was still grappling with the aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns, and audiences were astounded by the visceral depiction of jail that the drama provided.

‘I won’t be satisfied as an actor if I never work with Jimmy McGovern again.’

‘Time was a moment. It came out just after Covid. Everyone had been locked away. And then we’re watching this series about prison, being locked away,’ the actor recalls.

‘Most regular nine-to-five people, they’re looking at this going, “I couldn’t do that. The noise, the violence, everything that goes on with it.”’

In James’ opinion, Cracker creator Jimmy McGovern, who wrote the show, is the best writer he’s ever encountered – and Time is another example of his skill.

‘It was a gift of a piece. Jimmy McGovern doesn’t write about things that he doesn’t know about, and if he’s writing about something he doesn’t know about, he’ll go away and he’ll make sure he knows every inch of it,’ he outlines.

‘That’s why Jimmy McGovern, for me, personally, I think he’s the best writer, and I won’t be satisfied as an actor if I never work with him again.’

Four years after Time, James was reunited with Sean in This City Is Ours, a drama set in his home city of Liverpool in which the Game of Thrones star plays crime boss Ronnie Phelan

Of course, Sean, 66, is nothing like his crime drama character – according to James, he’s an absolute ‘gentleman’.

‘There’s no ego. He’s mild-mannered, lovely,’ the actor emphasises. ‘Sean is just a chameleon. He can do it all. Whatever that thing is, he just has it. He’s the easiest person to work with.’

‘It’s important to hear regional accents on telly.’

While in A Thousand Blows, James plays a character from London, This City Is Ours is set in Liverpool. You can see the pride radiating from him when he speaks about how the series ‘showed off the city visually in such a beautiful way’.

‘Tourism really boomed, and it is a beautiful city. I’m so proud of where I’m from,’ he says. ‘A lot of people from my background, it’s not the first thing they think of doing. It’s either football or boxing if you’re a male.

‘Look at some of the young Scouse talent that was in This City Is Ours. It’s important for all cities to have their stories told. There’s no reason why a love story can’t be set in Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, all these great cities across the UK. It’s important to hear regional accents on telly.’

James has been in the industry for 16 years – and just like Stephen, who helped him in the early stages of his career, he’s clearly passionate about encouraging younger generations of aspiring actors too. So what would be his key pieces of advice for anyone keen on following in his footsteps?

‘Always be respectful, and never expect anything out of anyone, because not everyone’s Stephen Graham,’ he stresses.

‘Shoot your shot. Go for it. Someone doesn’t know you’re there unless you introduce yourself. If you don’t introduce yourself, you’re just going to be a stranger.’

One time, James wrote a letter to Jimmy McGovern to introduce himself. He might not have heard back from the writer at the time, but he ended up working with him anyway, and hopes to do so again in future.

In addition to ‘being a sponge’ and ‘throwing yourself into it’, another golden nugget of wisdom that he has for other actors is for them to be mindful of who they surround themselves with when they work with agents and publicists.

‘It’s about someone who cares about you and wants the same things, wants to drive your career in that way, and is willing to put the time in,’ he shares.

In one of the most heartwarming moments I’ve ever experienced during an interview as a journalist, as our Zoom call was drawing to a close, James and his representative spoke for a few more minutes about how much their partnership means to them both.

Their show of admiration for one another might have restored my faith in humanity just a little bit.

A Thousand Blows season 2 premieres on Friday January 9 on Disney Plus.

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